NEW YORK CITY, January 20—Another spirited march – there are many every week - about the genocide in Gaza was held in uptown Manhattan involving over 500 demonstrators. It was organized by a coalition of groups demanding an immediate ceasefire. The police brutally attacked marchers, arresting 10 people for things as minor as assembling in a park or carrying a bullhorn and leading chants, which has now become their general practice citywide. This included a public health student, who in response to the first arrests, led the chant “NYPD, KKK, IDF, All the Same.”
Planting seeds for revolutionary communism from Bronx to Uptown, NYC
In a sea of nationalist, Palestinian flags, Progressive Labor Party (PLP) had a small but spirited group with a communist, red flag. We led chants calling for “Arab, Jewish, Black and white” unity, “Israel, racista, asesina y fascista” and “Shut this capitalist system down.” (see more chants on page 6) We distributed over 130 copies of CHALLENGE that were, as always at these protests, eagerly taken from our hands. Many told us they had seen previous issues at other demos. We had several in depth conversations, including one with a different healthcare student before the first police attack. She expressed her disillusionment with the racist healthcare system, and we talked about how sanitation workers are the backbone of public health and actually the ones keeping us safe (not racist cops or hospital administrators).
One of us has become active on the chat of a group of over 500 young health care workers met at demonstrations, and out of this has been able to start a study group about capitalism and communism. Others have become active in groups active in Uptown and the Bronx, with more and more interest shown in PLP’s revolutionary politics.
Nationalism is deadly for the working class
The genocide in Gaza has exposed the barbarism of the Israeli and U.S. ruling classes. It also shows the degree to which racism and nationalism have won Zionists and others to support mass murder. Worldwide, millions are protesting in the streets, angry as hell and looking for an alternative. But a Palestinian state or territory led by Hamas, the Palestinian Authority (PA), or some other nationalist group would never be able to provide a safe and fruitful life for workers in Palestine.
The PA and Hamas have long cooperated with Israel to oppress and repress Palestinians; the UN and its World Court represent the ruling classes of the world. So-called victorious“progressive” nationalists around the world, from South Africa to El Salvador, have done nothing but empower new ruling classes who act as junior partners to imperialists.
Let’s continue to march and struggle with protestors against genocide as we raise the need for an international working class movement for communism.
